By Yi Whan-woo
The welcome dinner for U.S. President Donald Trump mainly featured Korean traditional dishes meant to symbolize the South Korea-U.S. alliance, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
Among them were dishes usually served on "soban," a small, portable dining table used in ancient Korea, as well as seasoned Korean ribs, shrimp and grilled flatfish.
They were chosen after carefully considering Trump's tastes.
"We wanted to satisfy the U.S. head of state's appetite, while underscoring the characteristics of our traditional dishes at the same time," a Cheong Wa Dae official said. "We expressed our sincerity in welcoming the state guest, bolstering the alliance through every single dish we prepared."
The food on the "soban" was made of corn, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, burdock root and other crops and plants that were in the Korean diet when the country was poor.
"The food is now considered healthy as time has passed," a presidential official said. "We wanted to ensure that the Seoul-Washington alliance has become more precious than ever through time."
Grilled flatfish -- served with Korean soybean paste soup -- is known as Trump's favorite fish.
Cheong Wa Dae said the flatfish for Trump was from Geoje Island, Moon's hometown on the southern coast of South Gyeongsang Province.
The Korean ribs were seasoned with soy sauce and broiled.
The shrimp was caught off Korea's easternmost islet of Dokdo and mixed with japchae, potato starch noodles stir fried with mixed vegetables and seasoned with soy sauce and other ingredients.
The desserts were chocolate cake with strawberry vanilla sauce and persimmon punch.
The dinner featured performances by the KBS Symphony Orchestra, composer Jung Jae-il and singer Park Hyo-shin.
The orchestra played the "Light Cavalry Overture." The piece was selected to show hope for the Seoul-Washington alliance moving forward as the cavalry, Cheong Wa Dae said.
Meanwhile, President Moon and first lady Kim Jung-sook gave a set of brass spoons and a plate made of stone to Trump and U.S. first lady Melania.
On the back of the spoons was carved "We go together," a phrase used by the U.S. and Korea to underscore their alliance.
The welcome dinner for U.S. President Donald Trump mainly featured Korean traditional dishes meant to symbolize the South Korea-U.S. alliance, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
Among them were dishes usually served on "soban," a small, portable dining table used in ancient Korea, as well as seasoned Korean ribs, shrimp and grilled flatfish.
They were chosen after carefully considering Trump's tastes.
"We wanted to satisfy the U.S. head of state's appetite, while underscoring the characteristics of our traditional dishes at the same time," a Cheong Wa Dae official said. "We expressed our sincerity in welcoming the state guest, bolstering the alliance through every single dish we prepared."
The food on the "soban" was made of corn, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, burdock root and other crops and plants that were in the Korean diet when the country was poor.
"The food is now considered healthy as time has passed," a presidential official said. "We wanted to ensure that the Seoul-Washington alliance has become more precious than ever through time."
Grilled flatfish -- served with Korean soybean paste soup -- is known as Trump's favorite fish.
It was served during the White House dinner when President Moon Jae-in visited the U.S. in June for a bilateral summit.
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Cheong Wa Dae said the flatfish for Trump was from Geoje Island, Moon's hometown on the southern coast of South Gyeongsang Province.
The Korean ribs were seasoned with soy sauce and broiled.
The shrimp was caught off Korea's easternmost islet of Dokdo and mixed with japchae, potato starch noodles stir fried with mixed vegetables and seasoned with soy sauce and other ingredients.
The desserts were chocolate cake with strawberry vanilla sauce and persimmon punch.
The dinner featured performances by the KBS Symphony Orchestra, composer Jung Jae-il and singer Park Hyo-shin.
The orchestra played the "Light Cavalry Overture." The piece was selected to show hope for the Seoul-Washington alliance moving forward as the cavalry, Cheong Wa Dae said.
Meanwhile, President Moon and first lady Kim Jung-sook gave a set of brass spoons and a plate made of stone to Trump and U.S. first lady Melania.
On the back of the spoons was carved "We go together," a phrase used by the U.S. and Korea to underscore their alliance.
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